Farmers were yesterday given a glimmer of hope following the turmoil of the last few weeks, when the European Commission agreed to speed up moves to lift the ban on exports of British beef.

Meetings scheduled for early next year are to be brought forward to next week in order to try to appease farmers reeling from a series of blows to the industry. The decision to bring the talks forward followed a meeting in Brussels between farmers and Emma Bonino, the EU Consumer Health Commissioner. Mrs Bonino also promised to weigh up the "balance of risks" before taking on board proposals for a ban on sales of lamb on the bone.

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